Picking India and Afghanistan's combined 11 for the 2023 World Cup ft. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rohit Sharma
Team India will square off against Afghanistan in the ninth match of the ICC ODI World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11.
The two teams have had contrasting starts to their World Cup campaign. While the Men in Blue recovered from early jitters to thrash Australia by six wickets in Chennai, Afghanistan went down against Bangladesh in Dharamsala by the same margin.
Team India will take a lot of confidence from the match-winning stand between KL Rahul and Virat Kohli against Australia. However, they will continue to miss Shubman Gill, who is currently recovering from dengue. Rohit Sharma and company will hope to continue their winning run and secure two more crucial points.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, wouldn't want to keep it too late and will look to bounce back from their defeat. However, it won't be an easy task for the Afghans, given that India boast a star-studded side.
On that note, we attempt to pick a balanced combined 11 out of both squads, factoring in recent form, conditions, and so on.
Openers - Rohit Sharma (c) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma is arguably the best opener in the game right now. Although he had a poor start to his World Cup campaign, bagging a duck against Australia, there is no doubting his pedigree.
Rohit has had a stellar campaign in ODIs this year, amassing 658 runs in 16 innings, including one hundred and six half-centuries. Moreover, the right-handed batter has smacked four fifties in his last six ODI knocks.
Young and talented Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz will pair up with Rohit at the top in this combined XI. Gurbaz is young for his attacking brand of cricket and is adept at capitalizing on the field restrictions. He has had a good start to his World Cup campaign and will hope to keep the momentum going.
Besides, Gurbaz is also very safe behind the wicket and can chip in with wicketkeeping duties if needed.
Middle order: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Hasmatullah Shahidi
There is arguably no better batter than Virat Kohli for the No. 3 position. He showed why he is so highly rated during their game against Australia. With the Men in Blue reeling at 2/3 while chasing 200, Kohli showed nerves of steel under pressure.
He never broke a sweat and batted for 116 deliveries for his 85 runs to put the team on the brink of victory. He mostly relied on ones and twos to keep the Aussie batters at bay and scored only six boundaries during his stay in the middle.
KL Rahul also played a valuable knock against the five-time world champions in Chennai. He stitched together a 165-run partnership with Kohli to help India begin the tournament with a win. The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 97 runs to see the team through.
Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi has been their mainstay in batting. The left-handed batter has been in decent form in the recently concluded Asia Cup and will hope to continue the momentum against a star-studded Indian bowling attack.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya and Mohammad Nabi
When fit and running, there are only a few all-rounders who could match up to Hardik Pandya's caliber. Hardik has grown in stature in the last few years and his game has taken a giant leap.
He has been equally good with both the bat and the ball, making significant contributions whenever the team has been under the pump. Besides, he also has a safe pair of hands on the field.
Mohammad Nabi, on the other hand, is one of the most experienced all-rounders in the business. He is very useful with the bat in the lower order and will be very useful with his off-spin in Indian conditions.
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Afghan-born Rashid Khan is arguably the best leg-spinner in the world. He has a sharp googly in his kitty to fox the batters. Although he has had a struggling year, picking up only nine wickets in as many ODI games, Rashid knows how to turn the game on its head single-handedly. Besides, he is also a decent batter and can score quick runs in the lower order.
Kuldeep Yadav has been the most improved Indian spinner in the last two years, so much so that he has sidelined India's primary wicket-taker, Yuzvendra Chahal. Kuldeep has had a staggering 2023 season, scalping 35 wickets in 17 ODI innings at an average of close to 15.
Kuldeep had a good outing against Australia in the first game, picking up two wickets, and will look to continue the momentum going.
Ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah holds the key in this Indian lineup. Bumrah returned to action after a long injury layoff and has looked in prime form since then. His ability to bowl in different phases of the game and ability to produce decent slower deliveries make him one of the pacers to watch out for.
Mohammed Siraj's rise to the top is inspiring at so many levels. He is the most improved pacer in the world, especially in ODI cricket. His ability to bowl his heart out and give his 100 percent makes him an other-worldly weapon for Rohit Sharma.
Siraj has picked up 55 ODI wickets in 29 innings in the last two years, which speaks volumes about his game. The Hyderabad-born cricketer has also managed to put Mohammed Shami in the pecking order and be India's first-choice pacer alongside Bumrah.